End of the good old days... music hall faces closure

One of the oldest surviving music halls in the world could shut after it lost a bid for lottery money.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has turned down an application for £2.5 million towards the £3.8 million needed to restore 153-year-old Wilton's Music Hall in the East End.

Hall director Frances Mayhew called the rejection "a real blow".

"It is sad that the last music hall of its kind, which is literally falling down, cannot find favour. If we do nothing by autumn we would be closed down. We won't let this happen," he said.

Wilton's was one of the public music halls that opened in the 1850s but had all but disappeared within 50 years. It played host to stars such as Champagne Charlie before becoming a Methodist mission. In recent years it has become a popular venue for filming and performances but needs urgent repairs.